Remember fidget spinners? Those whirling dervishes of distraction that briefly united children and annoyed teachers everywhere? Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve evolved from spinners to squishers, specifically the “NeeDoh” — a stress toy that’s become the must-have accessory for anxious adults and fidgety students alike. In the ever-evolving landscape of stress management, a peculiar phenomenon has emerged, leaving many to ponder: Is this a genuine aid for anxiety, or just another trend fueled by our insatiable consumerism? The rise in popularity of stress toys, particularly the evolution of the NeeDoh, has sparked a debate that stretches from college classrooms to corporate boardrooms.
NeeDoh’s newfound popularity has spawned a plethora of variations of the toy that have driven people to start collections, from jellyfish to ice cream cones, cats to dogs. Grown adults and college students have been spotted clamoring for these items, even causing sell-outs at the local Ithaca Target, courtesy of the enthusiastic Cornellians. There’s a certain logic to the addiction — keeping your hands busy can indeed calm the mind. However, despite some professors embracing this trend, others find it distracting and immature. There are horror stories abound with stress balls filled with bizarre substances like shaving foam or sticky gel exploding mid-lecture, causing chaos and disruption.
Some argue that these toys don’t even alleviate anxiety, leaving one to wonder if they are merely a placebo effect. While studies on the efficacy of stress toys are limited, anecdotal evidence suggests they can provide a temporary sense of calm and focus. So if they do work, the question remains: Should these tools be accessible to everyone, or reserved for those with diagnosed anxiety disorders? While these tools can offer comfort, distributing them without guidance might overshadow the importance of professional diagnosis and treatment for anxiety disorders. Perhaps a balanced approach, where NeeDohs are available but accompanied by resources encouraging mental health awareness and professional consultation on their packaging, would best serve the public’s well-being, along with a limit to one per customer so they remain available to people who truly need them.
Let’s not forget the over-consumerism aspect. We’re talking about adults stampeding through Target for $5 stress dumplings, originally designed for children. It’s the Beanie Baby craze all over again, but this time, we’re hoarding squishy toys in the name of mental health. While the intention might be good, it’s hard to ignore the feeling that we’re turning anxiety into a commodity. No longer are we genuinely addressing the root causes of stress; rather, consumerism is tricking us into slapping a NeeDoh-shaped Band-Aid on the problem and developers are profiting every time a new stress toy goes viral. While advocating for mental health is crucial, the negative side of the NeeDoh trend cannot be ignored, especially as it risks crossing the line of professionalism and conduct. For instance, reports of students using the “NeeDoh method” to cheat on exams by imprinting answers onto the latex surface are deeply concerning.
A simple stress management tactic is now becoming a menace in the classroom that it was designed to help benefit. Rather than treating anxiety, the public is fueling a fleeting fad that undermines all the progress we are making in the mental health community. Once people begin self-diagnosing themselves with anxiety and using a NeeDoh as justification, we have truly lost focus on what it means to require mental health aids in everyday life. As stress-relief tools become trendy commodities, their true value for those genuinely seeking mental health support is diluted, undermining the progress made in normalizing and integrating effective treatment into daily life.
We must approach this trend with caution, ensuring that our pursuit of mental well-being does not devolve into a superficial obsession with the latest must-have gadget disguised as mental health advocacy. Do not mistake a $5 stress dumpling for genuine therapeutic intervention. Instead, invest in comprehensive mental health support, promote open conversations and teach effective coping strategies. The professional world demands resilience and problem-solving skills, not a squishy toy to squeeze when the going gets tough. It’s time to prioritize substance over fleeting trends and cultivate a culture of genuine well-being. Treating boredom in a lecture hall as anxiety does not excuse unprofessional behavior. Let’s keep the NeeDohs out of the workplace and exam halls and start addressing the real issues that are driving this anxiety trend in the first place.
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Skylar Toddings
Skylar Toddings ’29 is an Opinion Columnist and an English and Art History student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her fortnightly column, Views from Sky, offers a sophisticated exploration of popular social culture, blending a fiction reader’s imagination with the rigor of journalistic insight to deliver engaging and thought-provoking hot takes for Cornellians to dissect. She can be reached at stoddings@cornellsun.com.
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